Ryuji Compares Three New KFC Items and Recreates the "Chicken Tatsuta Burger" at Home

The first thing Ryuji tried was KFC's new fries. Ryuji says they originally "really hated" KFC's big, thick fries. The first impression of the new fries was that they looked closer to McDonald's and seemed crispy.

After tasting them, the verdict was very positive, with Ryuji and the staff repeatedly saying "totally different," "I want them to switch to these," and "I'd be fine with this forever." Ryuji especially pointed to the crunchy coating. The staff agreed that KFC's previous fries were never very crispy. Ryuji even said they would eat these every time they order the Tatsuta Burger.

The price was 910 yen for the BOX, and Ryuji said they couldn't tell whether that was expensive or not. The rating was "A," and Ryuji summed up that it feels like all of the fries could be switched to these. The portion ordered through Uber Eats also kept its crunchiness and was delicious, and Ryuji would recommend it to fries lovers.

Next was the "Marukaji Kenta." It was something Ryuji had wanted to try: boneless Original Recipe chicken finished with the Original Recipe spices. Breaking it open, Ryuji pointed out that it looked like thigh meat, and a staff member read the product description and confirmed that it uses juicy thigh meat.

Ryuji likes bone-in chicken too, but since you don't eat the bones anyway, this is easier to eat. Because it's smaller, the ratio of coating is higher and the flavor is quite strong. Ryuji's assessment was that it works both as a drinking snack and as a side dish with rice, and said they like how it feels close to a convenience store hot snack. Ryuji has always liked the thigh piece of KFC chicken, so they rated it highly for letting you eat that part whole. Someone also suggested it might be good for kids.

On the other hand, Ryuji seemed to find the price of 290 yen per piece "pretty expensive," saying it would be nice if it were a little cheaper. Ryuji also said a homemade "generic Marukaji Kenta" would definitely be delicious, and mentioned they might do this year's Christmas special in that form.

The main event, the Chicken Tatsuta Burger, is, according to Ryuji, "super trendy" right now, and other YouTubers often eat it too. When the box was opened, the chicken was big enough to stick out of the bun. The price is 540 yen.

In Ryuji's impression, the ginger comes through strongly, the coating is crackly, and the seasoning is Japanese-style with a strong soy sauce flavor. That is combined with mayonnaise sauce and shredded cabbage. The staff agreed that you can really taste the chicken and that it's easy to see why it's popular.

The rating was "A+." However, Ryuji predicted that because the sauce is monotonous, the other one with the extra sauce would probably taste better.

The aromatic green onion sauce version felt noticeably puffier just from holding it. The chicken looked thicker, but the conclusion was that this was probably just individual variation.

After eating it, Ryuji said the one with the green onion sauce was "way better." It has sweetness and tastes like sweet chili, and Ryuji's judgment was that stronger flavors are better for junk food. Ryuji also praised the fluffy bun, which wasn't squashed flat like McDonald's. It's hearty, and one burger is quite filling. The price goes up by the cost of the sauce to 590 yen on its own, which is pricey, but Ryuji felt it was well worth it to be able to eat this.

The rating was "A," and Ryuji said it was pretty much top class among burgers, delicious enough to compete with Burger King.

As an overall wrap-up, Ryuji said they often try new items from burger chains but feel that many are sold on buzz alone. Ryuji said they want to eat products like these that compete on flavor. In Ryuji's personal ranking, the Marukaji Kenta and the Crunch Potato are "snacks," while the Tatsuta Burger is "a burger that fills you up on its own." Ryuji also said the Marukaji Kenta would probably be really good if made at home with thigh meat, and that they now wanted to recreate all of them.

The second half is the recipe segment. The motivation is that the Tatsuta Burger is delicious but 590 yen is expensive, so Ryuji wants to make it possible at home. Ryuji explains tatsuta as "soy sauce–flavored karaage made with potato starch." Ryuji's view is that KFC's tatsuta itself doesn't involve anything particularly elaborate, so recreating the flavor is very easy. This time, instead of buns, Ryuji makes a "Chicken Tatsuta Sandwich" using toasted sliced bread. The main ingredients are chicken thigh, sliced bread, cabbage, and mayonnaise.

Although Ryuji praised the aromatic green onion sauce in the review, they decided not to make it for the recreation. It takes too much effort, and Ryuji added that anyone who wants it can get a similar flavor by adding green onion to sweet chili sauce.

Ryuji uses large chicken thighs of 400 g each, but says around 350 g is fine too. Since KFC's tatsuta was flat, Ryuji cuts the sinew with a knife to flatten it, then pounds it thinner. Ryuji says this not only flattens the meat but also makes it more tender and helps the seasoning soak in. After pounding two thighs, each is cut in half to make four pieces.

The seasoning was built from the impression of actually eating it. According to Ryuji, the Tatsuta sandwich tasted only of soy sauce, ginger, and umami seasoning, and wasn't sweet. So the sugar is kept to a small amount. The final quantities are as follows; if making a half batch, halve all the seasonings as well.

• Soy sauce: 5 tsp (more was added partway to reach this amount; 2 1/2 tsp for a half batch)
• Salt: 2 pinches
• Sugar: 2 pinches
• Ajinomoto: 8 shakes (Ryuji judged that umami seasoning is "definitely in there")
• Grated ginger: 15 g

There's probably no garlic, and the ginger aroma came through more, so Ryuji says the key is to add plenty of ginger.

Ryuji explains that almost no marinating time is needed. The reason is that the seasoning uses only soy sauce, salt, and sugar, without sake or mirin, so the seasonings aren't diluted and soak into the meat quickly.

To get a crunchy coating, the potato starch is applied in two stages. First, about 2 tsp of potato starch is added to the bowl with the seasoned meat and coated onto the chicken. Ryuji says this makes the coating stick much better. Then the chicken is dredged thoroughly in potato starch in a tray for a thick coating. When the pieces are spread out, there are spots without coating, so those get covered too.

The staff remarked that people usually just dredge it in a tray. Ryuji later explained that without mixing it in first, you won't get this crunchy texture. The idea is that a thicker coating is more satisfying to eat.

The sauce is simply 4 tbsp mayonnaise, 12 shakes of Aji-Shio, and 2/3 tsp lemon juice mixed together. The reason for the Aji-Shio is "because it's tasty"; Ryuji says mayonnaise is better with a bit of umami added. Since the sandwich is eaten with only this sauce, its flavor matters. During the tasting, Ryuji also explained that mayonnaise alone would be overpowered by the flavor of this chicken.

Ryuji suggested that sriracha sauce might also be good with it. In the U.S., Ryuji says, sriracha mixed with mayonnaise is paired with fried chicken. However, at the assembly stage, Ryuji decided that sriracha wasn't needed with this tatsuta.

About 1 cm of rice bran oil is poured into a frying pan and heated over medium. Because the chicken is large, Ryuji used a bigger pan than usual. The chicken goes in skin side first and is shallow-fried. The coating is potato starch only.

Ryuji also touched on how this differs from the Shake Shack–style chicken fillet sandwich made previously. The differences this time are that it's seasoned firmly in a Japanese style with soy sauce, and that it's paired with cabbage instead of lettuce.

Since each piece is a whole slab of meat, it's fried for a longer time. If the inside is undercooked, it's ruined. But because it's been pounded thin, double-frying isn't necessary. While acknowledging that double-frying is better for beginners, Ryuji said they really hate taking the chicken out once, so instead they flip it several times to cook both sides evenly.

Ryuji gave two indicators for doneness. One is sound: raw meat doesn't release juices, but as it heats up, juices form inside and drip into the oil, making a crackling sound. That's the signal that it's "good to go." The other is feel: if it's squishy when pressed, it's not cooked through yet, and once it starts to firm up, it's done. The finished tatsuta was "crunchy" thanks to the mixed-in coating.

Ryuji uses 6-slice-per-loaf bread toasted until crisp. Bread is placed on a sheet of paper towel and layered with the tatsuta, cabbage, and sauce, in that order. Since the chicken is large, Ryuji says a light sprinkle of Aji-Shio brings the flavors together.

Once sandwiched, it was bigger than expected, and Ryuji, calling it "unexpected," folded the bread to wrap around it. Ryuji made two, and when each was cut in half, juices poured out and the aroma was strong.

Taking a bite, Ryuji was amazed, saying it was so good it was beyond anything like KFC. Ryuji said the tatsuta coating was really solid, and went as far as saying, "This is the best sandwich I've ever made" and "Let's open a shop for this, it'll definitely sell."

The staff admitted that, honestly, they had thought it would just be an ordinary karaage sandwich, and apologized. Someone also said it was 50 times better than they'd imagined. The crunchy coating, the well-seasoned meat, the ginger flavor, and how well the Aji-Shio mayonnaise worked were cited as the highlights. A staff member who had been a little skeptical about whether the Aji-Shio mayo made any difference was also convinced by how good it was.

Ryuji said they had thought the Shake Shack–style chicken fillet sandwich was the best of their chicken sandwiches, but this one might surpass it. What's more, this one is much easier to make. What surprised the staff was that Ryuji achieved this flavor in a single, unrehearsed attempt without preparing a recipe. The episode's conclusion is that it's worth making whether or not you've tried the original.